FO B6 Public Hearing 6-16-04 1 of 2 Fdr- Tab 6 Table of Contents and 6-5 Entire Contents- Suggested Questions for 911 Plot Panel 694

8/14/2019 FO B6 Public Hearing 6-16-04 1 of 2 Fdr- Tab 6 Table of Contents and 6-5 Entire Contents- Suggested Questions for 911 Plot Panel 694

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THEmilPLOTPANEL: OUTLINE OF THE j j /j j) PLOT

(MS) J A C Q U E L I N E M A G U I R ESpecial AgentFederal Bureau of Investigation(@ JAMES N.FITZGERALDSupervisory Special AgentFederal Bureau of Investigation

(Cfi^ ADAM DRUCKERSupervisory Special AgentFederal Bureau of Investigation

L_ IChief of the al Qaeda Plans and Operations Gr oupCounterterrorist Center (C?TC), Cen tral Intelligence Agency(1:30 p.m.-3;15 p.nj^jWednesday,

Designated Com missioners: Fred Fielding and Tim Roemer^Enclosures

()- Suggested Questions for the Panel0 ()- Prepared Statements|_ @-Biographies0 -Invitation Letters

B O L O


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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REV IEWThe 9/11 Plot

Suggested Questions for 9/11 Plot PanelKhalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM). Th e idea for the September 11 attacks originatedwith Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. KSM has spent considerable time in Afghanistan andha s lived in the United States. There have also been some claims that KSM was in theUnited States in recent years.

a. (For all) How much is known about his family history?b. (For all) When was he in the United States?c. (For FBI) Apart from what he has told his interrogators, how much do weknow about the time he spent in the United State?d. (For all) Looking back now, with all of the benefits of hindsight, is there

any indication that he would become a terrorist? When and how does itappear that he first became interested and involved in terrorism? Did hehave any known contact w ith law enforcement during this time?e. (For FBI) Have any of the claims that KSM was in the United States evenafter his time in school been verified?f. (For all) Apart from what has been disclosed in his interrogations, howmuch is known about KSM's life after he left the United States?

KSM and the 1993 W orld Trade Center bombing. KSM had some ro le in the 1993W TC bombing, which was planned by his nephew Ramzi Yousef. According to KSM, heprovided a bout $660 in funding to the conspirators in the bombing.

a. (For all) What was the nature of KSM's role in the 1993 WTC bombing?When was this role discovered?b. (For all) Is there any evidence that KSM participated in the 1993 bombingbeyond the provision of a small amount of money?

KSM and Bojinka. In 1994,KSM and Ramzi Yousef planned to bomb U S commercialjets over the Pacific. KSM claims that he and Yousef had the idea for the 9/11 plot at thistime.

a. (For all) What was the nature of KSM's involvement? Where was theplot hatched? Who else was involved? How much time did KSM spendin the Philippines while participating in the plot? How was KSM's role inthe Bojinka plot discovered?

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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWb. (For all) Is there any corroboration for KSM's claim that he and Yousefhad the 9 /11 idea as of 1994?c . (For all) What efforts were m ade by the United States to apprehend KSMonce h is role in Bojinka was discovered?d . (For all) How m u c h is known about where he traveled during 1995 an d1996?

Introduction of planes operation to Bin Ladin. KSM claims that he brought the ideaof the planes operation to Bin Ladin in a m eeting in 1996.a. (Foil l> What eviden ce is there of a relationship between K SMan d Bin Ladin, apart from the K SM interrogations?b. (Foij \wimportant was it forKSMto enlist al Qaeda'sSupport for the planes operation?c. (Forj \t was thenature of the"scaled-up" version of the.971,,1 plot th at K SM pi tched to Bin Ladin?

Bin Ladin approves planes operation. KSM claims that he inally obtained Bin Ladin'sapproval/for the planes operation in 1998.a. (For| |What didKSMdo, according towhat he has said, afterBini Ladin approved th e plan?

(For| I What is known about th e reason why KSM favored th eWorld Trade Center as a target?c .. (Foi| | Howm u c h is known about thefour original suicideoperatives who were pic ked for the operation (Nawaf al Hazmi , K halid al

Mihdhar, K hallad and Ab u Bara al Yemen i ) ?d ., (For all) Why was it m ore difficul t for Y em eni passport holde rs to obtain

US visas?e. Wh at was the "sm aller version of the Bojinka plot" in tend ed for theYe m eni operatives supposed to have entailed? How far does th e SoutheastAsia part of the plot appear to have progresse d?f. What was the nature of the "elite training course" th e four originaloperatives participated in ?

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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWKuala Lumpur. Allfour of the initial opera tives selected for 9/11 trave led to Kua laLumpur in early 2000. Hazmi andMihdhar, who were on their way to the United States,were a llegedly there to switch their passports before traveling to the U nited States.Khallad was reportedly conducting surveillance on various flights.

a. (For all) What was the purpose of Hazmi and Mihdhar sw itching passportsin Kuala Lumpur? Has it been confirmed that they did so? Is there anyevidence that Hazmi and M ihdhar may have been pursuing some objectivebeyond simply switching passports?b. (For all) Who else has been confirmed as being present at the KualaLum pur meeting? Is there any evidence to support open source claimsthat Binalshibh and KSM attended?c. (For all) Based on your review of all of the evidence, including thedetainee reporting, what do you believe was the purpose of the KualaLumpur meeting?d. (For all) Has any of Khallad's claimed travel in connection with his casingof airline security been confirmed?

Bangkok. As disclosed in Staff Statement No. 2, after Hazmi, Mihdhar and Khalladproceeded from Kuala Lum pur to Bangkok, Khallad met with some other operatives whodelivered money to him.a. (For all) What is known about the Bangkok meeting?

KSM's original plans. KSM claims that he himself was to have played a leading role inthe planes operation as he originally proposed it to Bin Ladin. He also claims that theproposal was not adopted because it was too complex.

a. (For] k Are you aware of any corroboration for this account?b. (ForIBased onyour understanding of KSMas a person and therest of the evidence concerning the 9/11 plot, how much credence do youplace in KSM's account about his original proposal?

Hazmi and Mihdhar's selection for the plot. KSM and K hallad say thatNawafalHazmi an d Khalid al Mihdhar-two 9/1 hijackers who were on board Am ericanAirlines Flight 77, which crashed into thefentagon - were in the first group ofal Qaedasuicide operatives picked for the planes operation, in 1999.a. (For I I What can you tell us about the background of each ofthese two operatives? . . \1Closed by Statute



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b. (Fog [What evidence is there about ho w they were recruited toj o ina l^ aedaYc. (For| | What qualified Hazmi and Mihdhar to participate in the

operation?

Initial changes in the operation. According to KSM, the planes operation was modifiedto include both a U.S. and Southeast Asia component, so that Yem eni operatives like AbuBara and K hallad wo uld be able to participate.a. (For all) How much evidence is there, apart from KSM's and Khallad's

statements, about the planning for the Southeast Asia part of theoperation? How far did the planning for the Southeast Asia part of theoperation advance?b. (For all) If the Southeast Asia part of the revised plan simply had the

objective of destroying aircraft in mid-air, why was it necessary to includehijacking as part of the op eration?Arrival of Hazrai an d Mihdhar in Los Angeles. As the s t a f f statement notes, Hazmiand Mihdhar arrived in Los Angeles on January 15, 2000, ill equipped to deal with l i f e inthe United States. They spoke no English and neither had previously spent time in theWest, Once they were in San Diego, they received considerable assistance fromindividuals in the M uslim community. Their friends in San Diego helped them in everyaspect of their daily lives, by serving as translators, helping them find flight schools andhousing, and assisting them in opening bank accounts.

a. (For FB I) W here did they stay in Los A ngeles? If unknown, whatinvestigation was conducted to locate their residence?

b. (For FBI) Did Hazmi an d Mihdhar receive the type of assistance theyreceived in San Diego during their time in the Lo s Angeles? O r did theymanage on their own?

Life in San Diego. In San Diego, Hazm i and M ihdhar lived quite openly, signingapartment leases, obtaining cell phones and landlines, and they were even listed in theSan Diego phone book. As a result, the FBI has been able to learn a great deal abouttheir associations an d living arrangem ents during their tim e in San Diego. By contrast,it ha s been fa r more d i f f i c u l t to determine where the hijackers lived and with whom theyassociated in Los Angeles. None of th e hijackers' San Diego associates claim to knowwhere the hijackers lived in Los Angeles, and in fact, the hijackers went so ar as to stateon a San Diego rental form that they had been in San Diego for those two weeks.



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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWa. (For FBI) Why do you believe that it has been so difficult to investigatethis aspect of the hijackers' activities?b. (For FBI) Do you believe that the hijackers intentionally covered theirtracks? If so, what is the reason for this and is there likely someone thehijackers were trying to protect?

KSM's instructions to Hazmi and Mihdhar. KSMsays he recognized that Hazmi an dMihdhar were not well prepared to stage an operation in the United States, since neitherone ha d much exposure to western culture or spoke English. KSMalso says he instructedthem to seek help at mosques after they arrived in the United States and to enroll rightaway in English classes so they could start flight training at the earliest possible time.a. (For FBI) What sort of investigation was done to confirm the enrollment

of Hazmi and Mihdhar in schools in Los Angeles? hi San Diego?b. (For FBI) How well were Hazmi and Mihdhar remembered at the schools

they visited? Did anyone at any of the schools take any steps to alert lawenforcement when Hazmi and Mihdhar enrolled?

Mohdar Abdullah. According to the staff statement, Abdullah recently made commentsto fellow inmates indicating that he knew that Hazmi and Mihdhar were in the U.S. toconduct a terrorist attack and that he had advance knowledge of theplot.a. (For FBI) What sort of evidence has the FBI uncovered tending to supportthe possibility that Abdullah or any of his San Diego associates may have

had advance knowledge of the attacks?b. What is your assessment of the credibility of this statement?

Abdullah and Los Angeles. Abdullah apparently told one inmate that he had receivedinstructions to pick up the future hijackers at the Los Angeles airport, an d that he drovethem from Los Angeles to San Diego.a. (For FBI) Do you have any evidence which corroborates these statements?

Do you have any evidence to the contrary? What is your assessment ofthe credibility of this statement?

b. (For FBI) For example: 1) what have you uncovered during yourinvestigation about how the hijackers traveled from Lo s Angeles to SanDiego? 2) what have you uncovered about whoif anyonemay havepicked them up at Los Angeles airport?

c. (For FBI) Do you have any information on who may have instructedAbdullah to pick up the hijackers?



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Abdullah's deportation. Abdullah was deported by the U.S. governm ent to Yemenseveral weeks ago, only a short time after the FBI learned of Abdullah's allegedcomments to his ellow inmates.a. (For FBI) Given the seriousness of the allegations, why did the U.S.

government allow the deportation to proceed?b. (For all) What investigation was conducted by the FBI in an attempt to

corroborate the statements allegedly made by Abdullah? Was anyconsideration given to prosecuting Abdullah? Was any considerationgiven to declaring Abdullah an "enemy combatant?" W hat arrangementshave been reached with the Yemeni government to ensure that Abdullahwill still be carefully m onitored now that he is out of U.S. custody?Chance m eeting with Bayoum i? As discussed in the s t a f f statement, KSM claims thathe instructed the two uture hijackers to live in San Diego, based on his initial re searchregarding language and flight schools in the United States. If so, it appears odd that th ehijackers did not travel directly to San Diego, an d that their chance encounter in LosAngeles happened to be an individual who was well established in San Diego.

a. (For all) Do you believe that KSM's statement casts doubt on Bayoumi'sassertion that his initial m eeting with the hijackers in Los Angeles wasaccidental? During its investigation, has the FBI uncovered any otherinformation which suggests that the initial meeting between Bayoumi andthe hijackers was not an accident?

Bayoumi's assistance. As noted in the s t a f f statement and has been widely reported inth e press, Bayoumi provided the two future hijackers with considerable assistance o ncethey arrived in San Diego.

a. (For FBI) To what extent was welcoming and assisting newcomers to SanDiego in this fashion something that Bayoumi did regularly?b. (For FBI) During the course of the FB I investigation, what did the FB Ilearn about how many others B ayoumi assisted in a similar fashion?

W ho is Khallam? In a proffer session with the FBI in July of 2002, Abdullah alsoacknowledged driving the two hijackers to Los Angeles in June of 2000. Abdullah saidthat during this trip, they visited the King Fahd mosquewhere the hijackers greetedpeople they appeared to already knowand stayed at a motel near the mosq ue that night.According to Abdullah, an individual named "Khallam "visited th e hijackers at the motelthat night, and Abdullah said that he was asked to leave the room during the hijackers'meeting with "Khallam."



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b. (For all) Are there any other instances where there was an official searchfo r one of the hijackers due to the fact that contact with their families ha dbeen cu t off?

Other members of the circle in Hamburg. In addition to Atta, Shehhi, Jarrah, andBinalshibh, there were a number of their associates in Hamburg who appeared to haveheld similar views. They include Mounir el Motassadeq and Abdelghani Mzoudi, whohave faced criminal prosecution in Germany, as well as Said Bahaji and ZakariyaEssabar, who remain at large. W e no w know that this larger group would frequentlymeet and in the words of one witness, became something of a "sect. "

a. (For all) How and when did the other members of the larger circlebecome associated with the Hamburg cell members?b. (For all) What do we know about: 1)where and when the larger groupwould meet; 2) who was involved in these meetings; 3) what they would

discuss during these meetings; 4)'the views of the members of the groupregarding the United States and the West; 5) evidence of increasedradicalization of the group over time?

The Hamburg group's travel to Afghanistan. Binalshibh claims that he and the rest ofth e Hamburg group were recruited into al Qaeda and the 9/11 plot as a result of achance meeting with someone who directed the group to an al Qaeda member namedMohamedou OuldSlahi.a. (For! |> What intelligence is there about how the Hamburg group

was induced to go to Afghanistan? What can tell us about Slahi and hisassociation with al Qaeda? Was he a recruiter for al Qaeda? Do youknow if he had knowledge of the 9/11 plot?

b. (Foi| I Is there anything to either corroborate or contradictBirialshibh's claim that the Hamburg group went to Afghanistan at Slahi'ssuggestion?

Binalshibh'? failure to obtain a visa. Binalshibh, a Yemeni, did no t obtain a U.S. visa.According to KSM, he realized early on in th e plot that it would be difficult to useYemenis for attacks within th e U.S. due to difficulties in obtaining visas.

a. (Fot| | Do we know why KSM nevertheless planned tomakeBinalshibh one of the pilots for the attacks in the U.S.?Selection for the plot. // appears that the Hamburg group was selectedfor the 9/11attacks and Atta as emirfairly quickly, as shown by thefact that when Binalshibh/reached the camps, Atta andJarrah had already pledged bayat and Shehhi had alreadyl e f t -

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a. (Fdrl I Is there anything you can tell us about the process ofselecting those in the Hamburg group for the attacks? Why was Attachosen as the emir? Is there any possibility that Atta had prior contactwith al Qaeda or Bin Ladin? If there is no indication of previous contact,why did al Qaeda select the individuals from Hamburg so quickly?Initial Target selection. There is reporting that in Atta's initial discussions with BinLadin, th e World Trade Center, th e Pentagon, Congress and the White House werementioned as targets.

a. (For! \n youelaborate on the target selection? Were they allpicked by Bin Ladin? Was Atta given orders to attack certain targets ordid he have discretion between targets?Return to Germany. The Hamburg cell members presumably did not want most othersin Hamburg to know that they had traveled to Afghanistan. When they returned fromAfghanistan to Hamburg, there are reports that they behaved an d dressed differently thanthey had prior to their travel. There were also numerous press reports after th eSeptember 11 attacks that Jarrah was detained by U AE law enforcement authorities onhis way back from Afghanistan, at the request of the US Government.

a. (For all) What role did their closest associates (Motassadeq, Mzoudi,Essabar, and Bahaji) play in keeping their whereabouts a secret?

b. (For all) W hat can you tell us about the apparent change in behavior ofthe Hamburg cell, and who may have instructed them to do so?c. (For all) What can you tell us about the incident with Jarrah in the UAE,particularly in terms of any role of the US government?

Ziad Jarrah. Jarrah's personal background makes it seem that he was an unlikelycandidate for a suicide attack. Jarrah also m aintained close contact with his girlfriendin Germany as well as his family in Lebanon throughout his time in the United States.a. (For all) Do you have any information about when, and why, Jarrahbecame an extremist? Are there people who may have influenced him to

become radical?b. (For all) D id Jarrah disobey an order by Atta or the al Qaeda leadershipby taking so many foreign trips and maintaining contacts with his family?c. (For all) What is your assessment as to whether Jarrah's girlfriend mayhave known about the plot? Wh at does the one-way ticket for Jarrah's lastvisit to Germany indicate?



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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWHatching of the plot. During the Mzoudi an d Motassadeq trials in Germany, evidencewas presented indicating that th e Hamburg cell members planned to attack th e UnitedStates even prior to their travel to Afghanistan in late 1999. In fact, some of th e evidencepresented appeared to support th e proposition that th e Hambu rg cell members came upwith th e plan or 9/11 and then traveled to Afghanistan to receive approval and fundingto carry it out.

a. (For all) Based on the evidence you have seen, do you believe that theHam burg cell mem bers intended to carry out an attack against the U nitedStates even before their trip to Afghanistan?

b. (For all) What evidence is there to indicate that the plan for 9/11 washatched in Hamburg?

Pre 9/11 Focus by U.S. and German governments on al Qaeda presence inHamburg.a. (For all) What did the German government know prior to 9/11 about thevarious members of the group, including Mohammed Haydar Zammar?What informa tion had the German government shared with the U.S. aboutthese individuals prior to 9/11?b. (For all) How concerned were members of the U.S. IntelligenceCommunity prior to 9/11 that there might be an al Qaeda presence inHamburg? To what extent was this concern expressed to their Germancounterparts, and how responsive were the German government officialsto the U.S. Intelligence Community's requests?c. (For all) To what extent were German intelligence and law enforcementagencies focused on Islamic extremism prior to 9/11?

Arrival of Hamburg pilots in the U.S. Atta and Shehhi arrived w ithout firmplans toattend a particular flight scho ol, while Jarrah did make plans to attend a flight school inFlorida. Atta and Shehhi loo ked at schools in the Northeast and in Oklahoma, bu t thentrained in the same small city in Florida as Jarrah.a. (For all) What evidence is there regarding Atta and Shehhi's original

plans to get flight training? Did they plan to train in the Northeast?b. (For all) Why did they travel all the way to Oklahoma? Have you found aconnection to the fact that Zacarias Moussaoui later trained at the schoolin Oklahoma that Atta and Shehhi chose not to attend? Is there evidenceof any other al Qaeda figure training at that same school previously?

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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWc. (For all) Do you know why Atta and Shehhi rejected various schools theylooked into? Do you think that Atta and Shehhi originally planned to trainsomeplace distant from Jarrah?d. (For FBI) Can you elaborate on the training of Atta, Shehhi, and Jarrah?What did they tell their flight instructors? What types of students werethey? Did they progress in their training at a typical rate? Do their flightinstructors recall anything unusual about them?e. (For FBI) Why did Atta and Shehhi keep switching flight schools? Doyou consider this simp ly to be a sign of their hurry to get licensed, or asign of tradecraft?f. (For FBI) Is there any evidence that Atta, Shehhi and Jarrah had meetingswhile they trained in Venice, Florida? How far apart were their schoolsand residences? What evidence is there of any communication amongthem?

Jarrah's trip to New York? FBI investigation indicates Jarrah traveled toNewark onJanuary 16, 2001 an d returned to Tampa on January 22 , 2001. Investigation indicateshe may have visited his uncle in Newark for 3 or 4 days, leaving Jarrah unaccounted for2 to 3 days.a. (For FBI) Did the FBI query hotels in the New York and/or Newark areato ascertain w hether he visited New York?

Trips to Georgia. Investigation has not been able to identify Atta an d Shehhi'swhereabouts from March 1, 2001 through March 12, 2001. They were last reported inStone Mountain, Georgia on March 1, 2001 an d are accounted for on March 13, 2001 inDuluth, Georgia. Jarrah is unaccounted from March 5-14, 2001. Jarrah's p honeactivity places him in Levittown, PA on March 5, 2001. He is accounted for in Decatur,Georgia on March 15, 2001.

a. (For FBI) Has every possible investigative measure been taken to identifytheir whereabouts and more importantly have any associates or newtelephone numbers pertaining to possible associates been identified?b. (For FBI)Were Jarrah's girlfriend's telephone numbers queried for allincoming calls during this time frame to identify Jarrah's whereabouts?c. (For FBI) Atta also made several phone calls to his father, grandfather,mother and sister in February 2001. W as a request made to the foreigncounterparts to have these telephone numbers queried for incoming calls

from US during this time period?



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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWHani Hanjour: Hanjour lived in the United States o ff and on since 1991, mostly inArizona. H e seems to have spent m uch of his t ime light training.

a. (For all) Why did he first come to the United States? What evidence isthere as to why he chose flight training, and why he chose to settle inArizona?b. (For all) Do you know what his views w ere when he first came to theUnited States? How sure are you that he did not come to the United Statesat the direction of al Qaeda? What do you know about his early trip toAfghanistan in the 1980s?c. (For FBI) What have you found about Hanjour's time in Arizona duringthe 1990s? Did he spend all of his tim e flight training, or was he involved

in any other significant activities? How did he finance his education?d. (For FBI) W ho were his associates in Arizona? Were any of themextremists? What do you know about the people he trained w ith inArizona? How likely is it, based on the evidence you have seen, that thereis a support network of extremists in Arizona?e. (For FBI) To what extent did any of Hanjour's associates in Arizona haveties to al Qaeda? Is it possible that one of his associates could haverecruited Hanjour into al Qaeda while in Arizona? Have you found anyconnection with Han jour's associates in Arizona and the 9/11 plot?f. (For FBI) Did Hanjour have any relationship with any of the individuals

discussed in the "Phoenix memo" from July of 2001? What became of theindividuals named in the memo? Have you determined why they werepursuing training in the aviation field?

The 1999 America West incident. There was a well-publicized incident in November of1999 involving tw o S audi students on an America West f l ight between Phoen ix andWashington, DC in which th e students were briefly detained by the FBI due to reportsthat one of th e students was trying to get into th e cockpit.a. (For FBI) Have you determined whether the incident was related in anyway to 9/11 or to Hani Hanjour?b. Did either of the two students involved in the incident have ties toAfghanistan?

Recruitment into the Plot. It appears that Hanjour arrived in the al Qaeda camps inAfghanistan in 2000 and was quickly recognized as an ideal candidate for the 9/11plot.



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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEWa. (For all) Do you have any information on how and why Hanjour ended upin the al Qaeda camps in Afghanistan hi 2000? Do you know if he wasinfluenced by a certain individual o r event to go to Afghan istan?b. (For all) How long was he in the camps? How quickly was he selected for

the 9/11 attacks?c. (For all) Do you have any doubts that it was truly a coincidence that whenal Qaeda needed a pilot for the plot, H anjou r showed up in Afghanistan?

Hanjour's return. Hanjour returned to the United States in December 2000 to join withNawafal Ha zmi. The two moved from San Diego to Phoenix so that Hanjour couldpursue additional flight training.a. (For FBI) Do you know where Hanjour stayed when he arrived in SanDiego? How long was he in San Diego? What investigative steps haveyou taken to try to answer these questions?b. (For all) Did N aw afal Ha zmi receive notification that another operativewas joining him in San Diego? If so, how was he informed, and bywhom?

Hanjour's training. Hanjour appears to have obtained a significant amount of flighttraining, considering that he started in the 1990s. At least afew of Hanjour 's flightinstructors seem to have discouraged him from continuing due to poor performance.a. (For FBI) Wha t have you found about his skills as a pilot? What do his

flight instructors in Arizona say about him in terms of skill andpersonality?b. (For FBI) H ave you determined whether Hanjour had enough skill andtraining to crash Flight 77 into the Pentagon?

Return to Arizona? There is some evidence that in June of 2001, Hanjour returned toArizona to obtain additional flight training.a. (For FBI) What is the evidence suggesting that Hanjo ur returned toArizona at this tune? Is there contradicting evidence? What is your

assessment on whether he returned to A rizona?b. (For FBI) If Hanjour did return to Arizona, what would be the reason?Were there certain key associates who could hav e helped H anjou r with histraining?



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Closed by StatuteSUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEW

Atta and Shehhi in Georgia. The staff statement reports that Atta a nd Shehhi spent aconsiderable amount of time in the area surrounding Atlanta.a. (For FBI) Have you been able to account for all of Atta and Shehhi's timein Georgia? Have you determined why they spent time in Georgia? Have

you identified any individuals whom theymet or associated with inGeorgia?Atta in Prague: Th e staff statement expresses a belief that the alleged meeting betweenAtta and an Iraqi intelligence officer did not occur.

a. (For| I What can you tell us, in an open hearing, about the originof the report that Atta met with an Iraqi officer? Can youdiscuss whathas been done to attempt to corroborate the report? What is yourassessment of the report?

b. (For FBI) Whathas the FBI done to attempt to resolve the issue? Whatgaps are there in Atta's travel during this time period? What has the FBIdone to investigate potential international travel by Atta during this timeperiod? What is your assessment about whether Atta went to Prague?

Investigation of April activities. Atta and Shehhi are unaccounted for from April 4-10,2001 , They were last reported in Virginia Beach, VA cashing a check in the amount of$8 , 000 on April 4, 2001. Atta and Shehhi are accountedfor on April 1 1 , 2001 in CoralSprings, Florida. I t has been suggested Atta ma y have been in Prague on April 9, 2001.

a. (For FBI) Were the Canadians asked to query their immigration recordsfor departures from and arrivals to Canadian airports fo r Atta and Shehhiin April 2001? Were foreign airline carriers operating from Dulles,Norfolk and Richmond and surrounding areas asked to query their flightmanifests for Atta and Shehhi? (It is conceivable that they flew out of aUS airport and flew into an airport in Canada as all entries made in landports of entry were not always documented.)

b. (For FBI) If they did not travel abroad and remained in the US, werehotels and businesses along the major thoroughfares between VirginiaBeach, Virginia and Coral Springs, Florida queried for Atta and Shehhi?

c. (For FBI) How likely is it that Atta and Shehhi had witting or unwittingassociates, who have not been identified, assist them during the periodsthat they are missing?

Virginia Beach. In late February, Atta withdrew $4000 from his joint account withShehhi while the two were in Virginia Beach. They also opened a mailbox in a privatemailboxfacility, which they closed several weeks later.



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a. (For all) Have you been able to determine the purpose of Atta andShehhi's travel to Virginia Beach? Or why they opened a mailbox theretemporarily? What evidence is there as to any mail that may have beendelivered there?

Shehhi's travel: Shehhi took unexplained trips to Casablanca and Cairo while he wasliving in the United States.a. (For all) Have you found anythin g that possibly explains these trips?Have you been able to verify reports that Shehhi visited Atta's fatherduring the trip to Cairo?

TheMuscle Hijackers All but one of the so-called 9/11 "muscle hijackers "- thoseoperatives who would storm th e cockpits and control th e passengers on the our hijackedplanes - came rom Saudi Arabia. Most appear to have been swayed tojoin th e jihad inChechnya by contacts at local universities and mosques.a. (For| |Based on theintelligence information youhave seen, whywere nearly all of the muscle hijackers selected for the 9/11 attacks fromSaudi Arabia? Was it purely for prac tical reasons, i.e. ease of travel?

Does there appear to have been any larger strategic or symbolic purpose?b. (For all) Have any of the contacts at local universities and mosques who

initially recruited many of the muscle hijackers in Saudi Arabia beenidentified by U.S. or Saudi authorities? If so, who are they and what canyou tell us about them ?c. (For all) If most of the muscle hijackers left Saudi Arabia to join the jihad

in Chechnya, how did they end up becoming al Qaedasuicide operativesin Afgha nistan? Does this mean that they were no t initially recruited forthe 9/11 attacks, or even for a suicide operation?

Background of muscle hijackers. Th e muscle hijackers had a variety of backgrounds,and some were not even believed to be especially religious. Most appear to have brokencontact with their families by late 1999 and early 2000.a. (For all) Wh at do we know about how the muscle hijackers wereradicalized? W hat have their friends and families told U.S. and Saudiauthorities about any changes they noticed in these individua ls?b. (For all) Did any of the muscle hijackers know each other before theywere selected for the 9/11 operation? Were any a part of a similar circle

of associates?



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c. (For all)What, if any, common traits exist among the musclehijackers?d. (For all) Were any of them experienced al Qaeda operatives? Were any ofthem known to Saudi authorities prior to September 11 ? Had any of the

muscle hijackers come to the attention of U.S. authorities prior toSeptember 11 ?

Recruitment of muscle hijackers into the plot Themuscle hijackers volunteered tobecome suicide operatives for al Qaeda and were chosen by Bin Ladinfor the 9/11operation. After being selected, they were sent to Saudi Arabia to obtain U.S. visas andthen returned to Afghanistan for special training.a. , (Fof| | Based on the intelligence youhave seen, howdid BinLadin select the 9/11 muscle hijackers? What criteriadid he use? W hohelped him choose the operatives? When did this process occur?b. .(For! I W hy were the 9/11 muscle hijackers first sent to SaudiArabia to obtain U.S.visas and instructed to return to Afghanistan forspecial training?c. (FoH I W hat kind of training did the muscle hijackers receive?Was it different than the training provided to other al Qaeda operatives?How so? How long did their training last? W ho trained them ?

Facilitators in the UAE. After their training, the muscle hijackers were sent to theU.A.E., where they received assistance from two al Qaeda op eratives, A H Abdul Aziz Aliand Mustafa al Hawsaw i. The muscle hijackers were then sent to the Un ited States inpairs.

a. (For all)When were the muscle hijackers informed about the details of the9/11 operation - the targets, timing, andmeans of attack? Whotold them?b. (For all)W hy were the muscle hijackers sent to the United States via theU.A.E.? W hat types of assistance did they receive? What did thefacilitators know about the 9/11 operation?c. (Forall) Why were the muscle hijackers sent to the United States in pairs?Did any of them attract the attention of security officials along the way?

Unidentified male with Jarrah. Th e staff statement reports that Jarrah was inPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania in June of 2001 attemp ting to fly the "Hudson corridor"from a/light school at the Northeast Philadelphia Airport. He was accompanied to the



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flight school by an otherwise unidentified Middle Eastern male. Jarrah then drove toBaltimore/Washington International airport on June 7 and flew to Las Vegas, Nevada.While renting an automobile at the Las Vegas airport Jarrah was accompanied by aMiddle Eastern male fitting th e description of th e person in Philadelphia.a. (For FBI) Has the person who accompanied Jarrah been identified? If not,

what investigation is being conducted to determine his identity?Atta in Las Vegas. Atta traveled to Las Vegas on June 28 , 2001 from Boston, M A, andremained untilJuly 1, 2001.

a. (For FBI) What was the purpose of Atta's trip? Was there an evaluation ofAtta's travel in the Las Vegas area?

Atta in Boston. Atta failed to complete his scheduled airline connections from LasVegas through Boston, M A and on to JFK airport in New York City on 07/01/2001.Instead he remained in Boston and stayed at the Holiday In n Express on the FitzgeraldExpressway approximately 5 miles from Logan International Airport. Atta then flew toNew York th e next day.a. (For FBI) Has the FBI determined why Atta remained in Boston

overnight? Hamza al Ghamdi called the same motel several times on09/09/2001. What is known, if anything about the interest in this motel bythe hijackers?

The July 2001 Spain Meeting In mid-July, Atta met Binalshibh at a small resort townin Spain, where, according to Binalshibh, they discussed th e status of th e 9/11 plot. Attatold Binalshibh that he would still need several weeks before he could finalize a date forth e attacks.a. (For all) Why did Atta and Binalshibh meet in person? Were they

instructed to do so? By whom?b. (For all) How did Atta and Binalshibh choose the location for their

meeting?c. (For all) Did any others individuals meet with them while they were in

Spain?d. (For all) Why did Atta need more time to finalize the date of the 9/11

attacks as of mid-July 2001? What else did they discuss at this meeting?



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Spanish Indictment. The Spanish government ha s indicted a number of individualsfrom the so-called "Spanish cell" ofal Qaeda led by an individual named BarakatYarkas on charges related to the September 11 attacks.a. (For all) Based on what youhave seen, was there a Spanish connection to

the 9/11 attacks involving the individuals named in the indictment? Isthere any connection between the individuals nam ed in the indictment andthe meeting between Atta and Binalshibh in July of 2001?

Would Be Muscle Hijackers. There were a number of operatives selected to be musclehijackers who did not end up being a part of the 9/11 attacks. These so-called"candidate "muscle hijackers either backed out of their assignment, could not obtain theneeded travel documentation, or were removed from the 9/11 plot by al Qaeda leaders.a. (For] |How many muscle hijackers pe r plane did al Qaeda thinkwould be necessary to carry out the 9/11 attacks successfully?b. (Forf I How much did these candidate muscle hijackers knowabout the 9/11 plot?c\r all) Did any of them come to the attention of Saudi authorities priorto 9/11 ? Were any of them known by U.S. authorities?d. (For all) If these individu als were supposed to have taken part in the 9/11

attacks, where are they today? Are they in custody? If so, have theyadm itted their potential role in the plot?

Saudi nationality. W e have identified at least nine candidate muscle hijackers, all ofwhom were Saudi nationals. We have named them in the Staff Statement an d providedthe general reasons why they did not take part in the 9/11 attacks.a. (Forl j Ali Abd al Rahm an al Faqasi al Gham di and Zuha ir alThubaiti were removed from the 9/11 operation by the al Qaedaleadership. Why?b. (For all) Khalid Saeed Ahmad al Zahrani and Saeed Abd ullah Saeed alGhamdi failed to acquire U.S. visas. Whywere they unable to get U.S.visas, unlik e the other muscle hijackers?

Intervention of security officials. Qutaybah al Najdi was stopped and brieflyquestioned by the airport security officials in Dubai, U.A.E., an d both he and Saeed alBaluchi go t cold feet after this encounter.

SUBJECTTOCLASSIFICATION REVIEW 18


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d. (For all) Why did Jarrah spend so much of his time training in the UnitedStates alone? Once it became clear that Bina lshibh wou ld not be able toget aU.S. visa, why didn't Jarrah join Atta and train with him andMarwan al Shehhi?

Possible second thoughts. During the summer of 2001, Jarrah may have ha d secondthoughts abou t participating in the 9/11 operation. Perhaps the most significantevidence of this doubt -was revealed in a July 20 conversation betw een KSMandBinalshibh. KSM and Binalshibh had a numb er of coded conversations about the plotduring the spring and summer o f 2001.a. (For| |What more can you tell us about these conversationsbetween KSM and Binalshibh about the 9/11 plot? W hen were U.S.authorities aware of these conversations? T he summer of 2001 has beendubbed the "summer ofthreat" - were anyU.S. authorities aware of theseconversations at the time?b. (ForI I What type of coded language was used during theseconversations? Do the conversations appear to be operational in nature?Would there have been any reason to suspect that the conversations mightconcern planning for a terrorist operation?c. (For all) In retrospect, how many of these conversations appear to haveconcerned planning for the 9/11 plot? What exactly did KSM andBinalshibh discuss during these conversations?d. (Fog |What further details can you provide us about the July 20conversation between KSM and Binalshibh? What was discussed about

Jarrah and his role in the 9/11 plot?Zacarias Moussaoui. There is reason to believe that KSM w anted money sent toZacarias Moussaoui to prepare him as a potential substitute pilot in the event Jarrahdropped out. Moussaoui w as arrested on August 16 , 2001, how ever, before completingflight simulator training.

a. (For all) What can you tell us about Mo ussaoui's background? W as he atrained as an al Qaeda operative? Had he traveled to Afghanistan like the9/11 hijackers? Did he volunteer to be a suicide operative?b. (For all) Had Moussaoui ever met any of the 9/11 hijackers? Did hereceive the same training as they had?c. (For FBI) What kind of flight training had Moussaoui received prior to hisarrest? Cou ld he have piloted a com mercial jet?



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d. (For all) How could Moussaoui have been incorporated into the 9/11 plotas late as August 2001?

Second wave. Binalshibh says that K SM talked about M oussaoui as if he had been partof the 9/11plot. KSM denies that Moussaoui was ever intended to be part of the 9/11operation and was slated instead to participate in a so-called "second wave"of attackson the West Coast after September 11 .a. (For all) W hat other inform ation exists to support the idea that al Qaedamay have been planning a second wave of attacks after 9/11?b. (For all) What would have been the targets for the alleged second waveattacks? W hen were they supposed to occur?e. (For all) Where is the other potential pilot that KSM says he recruited fo r

the second wave attacks, Faruq al Tunisi?Timing an d Targets The date of the attacks apparently was not chosen much m ore thanthree weeks before September 11 . Atta passed the date to Binalshibh in mid'August. BinLadin, ho wever, had been pressuring KSM for mo nths to advance the date of the attacks.Despite Bin Ladin's wishes, th e attacks seem to have been delayed during th e summer of2001.

a. (For| |W hat intelligence doyouhave as to whyBin Ladinwanted the attacks to occur sooner than September 11?b. (For all) Could KSM simply disobeyBui Ladin? How aboutAtta?c. (For all) Why w as the operation delayed during the summer of2001?d. (For all) W as there an y particular significance attached to the date of

September 11?

White House or Capitol. Atta selected a date after the first week of September so thatthe U.S. Congress would be in session. The Capitol was on the preliminary target list asearly as the spring of 1999 , which also included the White House, the Pentagon, and theWorld Trade Center. Bin Ladin preferred the White House over the Capitol. Based oncomm unications between Atta and Binalshibh as late as September 9, 2001, it appears asi f the hijackers planned to hit the White House i f possible bu t kept the U.S. Congress asan alternate target.



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SUBJECT TO CLASSIFICATION REVIEW' Closed by Statute

a. (For| }W hat other targets, jf er e on the preliminary target listdeveloped by alQaeda? / j j

b. (For all) W hy did the hijackers believe the W hite House would be adifficult target? , / / I I !c. (Forj l i f B i n Ladin ^f^iiied to hit the White House, did KSM orAtta have any choice? / / / fd. (For I I W hat more ibfCfrmation can you provide about thecommunications between Atta abd Binalshibh in the late summer of 2001?When did this informatiqh cbiwe to the attention of U.S. authorities?

Dissent A mo ng al Qaeda Leaders Although access to details of the 9/11 plot wascarefully guarded, w ord started to spread during the summer of 2001 that an attackagainst the United States was imminent/ KJ$Mwas widely known within al Qaeda to beplanning an attack against the U.S., Qnjdnitiny were even aware that he was sendingoperatives to the U.S. , as was reported byja C IA source in June 2001. Bin Ladin,moreover, specifically asked others wAfghanistan to pray for the success of an upcomingattack involving 20 operatives. /

a. (For I 1 Hpy did so many al Qaeda members know that an attackagainst the U.S. Was coming, and that KSM was sending operatives to theU.S.? / / / /b. (For| \fthis information wasreported by a CIAsource inJune2001, during the sumriier of threat, wh at was done with this inform ation?c. (For I I Were Bin Ladin or KSM at all concerned that the plotmight have been discovered during the summer of 2001, when word beganto spread about the upc om ing attack?

Disagreement with the Taliban, With the news of an impending a ttack against the U.S.gaining wider circulation, a r i f t developed within al Qaeda's leadership. Bin Ladinwanted the oper ation to proceed ris soon as possible, but several senior al Qaeda f iguresthought they should follow the position of Mullah Omar , who opposed attacking the U.S.a. (For| [Why did Mullah Omar oppose the attacks? W as heconcerned about the U .S. reaction?b. (For| |bid Bin Ladin's senior advisors oppose the attacks solelyou t of deference to Omar? W ere they concerned about the reaction oftheir Taliban host?



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c. (For| [Did Bin Ladin generally ignore the views of his senioradvisors? Of Omar?Final meeting in Las Vegas. On August 12 . 2001, Atta booked airline tickets from acomputer terminal in an internet cafe in Ft, Lee, NJ,for a flight to Las Vegas. HaniHanjour was using the adjacent computer terminal to book flights to Las Vegas on adifferent flight. Atta flew to Las Vegas on August 13 , 2001 and met Naw afal Hazmi an dHani Hanjour who had also flown to Las Vegas.

a. (For all) If know n, what was the purpose of this meeting?

Equipment for the attacks: Shortly before the attacks, Jarrah purchased a GlobalPositioning System (GPS) unit.a. (For FBI) Do you know if he used the GPS unit during the attacks?Would it have assisted the hijackers in any way?

Portland, Maine. Atta and al Omari drove a rental automobile from Newton, MA toPortland, ME on September 10 , 20011. They flew back to Boston, MA on US Airwaysflight 5930 on the morning of September 11 an d connected to American Airlines Flight11.a. (For FBI) Do you know what why Atta chose to fly from Portland toBoston?

Final days in Boston. A housekeeper at the Park Inn, Newton, MA in room 433 , whichwas occupied by Wail an d Waleed al Sheri attempted to clean the room on September 11 ,2001 at 10:00 am. She w as reportedly confronted by a Middle Eastern male, who was inthe room and stated that "someone is sleeping."

a. (For FBI) Has the FBI determined if this is correct? Was thehousekeeper'ske y card used in room 433 at this time? Was thehousekeeper shown photographs of the known hijackers and theirassociates?

Financing for the plot: T he hijackers obtained funds for the plot through wire transfersfrom facilitators in the UAE. The funds for the attacks w ere deposited in a number ofbank accounts opened by the hijackers.a. (For M r. Drucker) Have yo u found violations of any laws or regulationsin the manner the hijackers received mo ney through wire transfers?



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b. (For Mr. Drucker) Were there any instances where the banks that thehijackers used reported any suspicious activity? If so, how were thoseincidents resolved?

c. (For Mr. Drucker) How do you know that there was no funding source forthe attacks within the United States? How confident are you in thatconclusion?

d. (For Mr. Drucker) Can you explain the FBI's investigation of the plotfinancing? How were you able to determine how the hijackers got theirmoney?

e. (For Mr. Drucker) Could another group of terrorists use the samefinancing methodology today?

f. (For Mr. Drucker) The total amount spent for the 9/11 attacks seemsrather low. How confident are you that the funds youhave identified wereenough to carry out the attacks?

Detainee credibility. Much of the information about the plot is derived frominterrogations of detainees.

a. (For all) Howmuch of the "inside view" of the plot represents thecombined statements of various conspirators, and how much relies simplyon the accounts of one or two?

b. (For all) How consistent have the statements attributed to conspirators inthe 9/11 plot been?

c. (For all) How should we go about assessing credibility of theconspirators?

d. (For all) How conversant are the individuals performing the interrogationsin the facts surrounding the 9/11 plot and plotters?

Foreign government cooperationa. (For all) How much of the 9/11 story that we've heard is the product of

investigation performed by officials of foreign governments?b. (For all) To what extent have you been able to conduct investigation

abroad?


FO B6 Public Hearing 6-16-04 1 of 2 Fdr- Tab 6 Table of Contents and 6-5 Entire Contents- Suggested Questions for 911 Plot Panel 694

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